


An Idiot In Love

by damerey_knows



Series: Damerey Resistance 2019 [7]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Accidental Engagement, Exasperated!Finn, F/M, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, I know nothing about cars sorry, Leia Organa is amazing and I love her, Oblivious!Rey, Poe still doesn’t like monkeys, Stalker!Kylo, all the fluffies, mentions of past child abuse/foster care, pining!poe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 18:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19339921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damerey_knows/pseuds/damerey_knows
Summary: What happens when an innocent attempt to chase off Rey's stalker backfires on Poe?For the prompt: "We're fake-dating and I'm supposed to publicly break up with you but you've been irritating me lately so instead of dumping you I publicaly proposed to mess up your plan and now we're getting married, fuck"





	An Idiot In Love

**Author's Note:**

> I swear this was supposed to be like 1k max and yet here we are… 7k later… oh well ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯, blame tumblr for taunting me with great prompts ;D  
> (also I know nothing about mechanics/building a car so sorry if anything is weird about that scene, blame Google).
> 
>  
> 
> UPDATE: I FOUND OUT HOW TO MAKE TEXT MESSAGES LOOK LIKE MESSAGES!!!!! so i decided to test it out here on their text chats and see if it works and IT DOES adfja;dhfajldshfljkasdhflkjsahdf...... I probably won't use it for all of my fics but just where people are texting each other back and forth without content between the messages, but it is fun to be able to do it like this so that i don't have to use the left right formatting thing (which can get weird on mobile)

Poe knew this whole situation was his own damn fault. All he’d been trying to do was help Rey get rid of her hell-demon stalker of a co-worker, it had spiraled from there...

* * *

He and Rey had been walking down Michigan Avenue, enjoying the warm June weather. Rey wanted to look for some shoes to wear to Finn and Rose’s wedding in four months. The only reason he had let her convince him to come with was the fact that he had been half in love with her since they had met two years ago, though he let her believe that it was because she wanted to see how tall she was next to him in the heels. She was going to be Finn’s Maid of Honor, while Poe was Rose’s Best Man, or something to that effect.

“Come on, Poe,” she said, tucking her hand into his elbow and tugging him past the Water Tower. “Top Shop probably has something that will work.”

Poe smiled as they waited for the light to cross Michigan. “Fine, but after this we are going to sit somewhere.”

Rey laughed. “You do know that Ghirardelli’s is right next to it, right? I am not passing up ice cream.”

Poe smiled as they walked into the store. Shopping with Rey was an endeavor, but Poe found it endearing. She hadn’t always had the best life, but now she was at the beginning of a great career, enjoying herself and had enough to splurge on herself every so often.

Rey looked around the shop and they went down the escalator.

“Ooh,” she giggled, dragging him past the shoes to the accessories section. “This would look great on you.” She snatched a lurid neon pink and teal beanie off of a shelf and pulled it over his head, covering his eyes before Poe could protest. “Think Rose would let you wear it in the wedding?”

He rolled the bottom of the cap up off of his eyes, smiling at her and shaking his head. Then his eyes alit on something else on the shelf. “Only if you’re wearing these,” he said, snagging the star-spangled-star-shaped sunglasses off the clearance rack and putting them on her face, taking a little more care than she did.

“Perfect!” Rey laughed, throwing her arm around Poe’s neck as she pulled her phone out and snapped a picture.

Poe rested his left hand on her waist as he smiled at the screen. He rolled his eyes before looking at Rey. She was pulling wacky faces at the camera and snapping pics off a hundred a minute. Just as he was about to say something they heard a voice behind them.

“Rey?”

Poe felt Rey’s entire body stiffen and saw the smile slide from her face. She didn’t turn away from him as she looked over his shoulder. Poe could clearly read the words _What the hell?_ across her face.

Turning, Poe saw a tall man with long dark hair.

“Hi, Kylo,” Rey said, taking half a step closer to Poe and pulling off the sunglasses. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

The guy, Kylo - _what a weird name -_ shrugged. “Was looking for a present for someone.”

“That’s nice.” Rey’s voice was softer than usual. She was staring at the guy warily, clearly uncomfortable, but Poe couldn’t think of the reason why.

He squeezed her waist a little in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture before reaching out his other hand to Kylo. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Poe Dameron.”

Kylo blinked, as if just noticing Poe’s existence, before taking the offered hand. “Kylo Ren,” he said. His eyes moved from Poe’s face to Poe’s hand on Rey and his eyes hardened.

Rey was watching Kylo with wary eyes, her shoulder pressed into Poe’s side.  

“Well,” Poe said, trying to ease the tension that had sprung up. “We’d better get a move on if you still wanted to find those shoes. Nice to meet you, Kyle.” Gently, he steered Rey away from Ren’s hulking figure towards the shoes.

They milled around the shoes until Poe saw Kylo disappearing up the escalator.

Rey heaved a relieved sigh. “Thank God, he’s gone.”

“You okay?” Poe asked. He was sitting next to her on a couch as she tried on a pair of stilettos.

Rey nodded, standing up and swaying slightly as she got her balance. “Yeah. He’s just.... He works in my office. He tried asking me out when I started working there but I- I just…” she trailed off, walking the three steps towards the mirror. “You ever meet someone and every instinct in you is saying ‘run’?”

Poe nodded, waiting for her to continue.

Rey stared at her feet in the reflection absently. “I just, I wish I knew how to get him to back off. It’s almost the start of summer and the firm is doing all these events…”

Poe didn’t answer. Thinking back on their interaction.

“Come over here,” Rey said, suddenly more cheery. “What do you think of these?”

Poe stood up and smiled at her. “They look high, sure you’re gonna be able to walk in them all night?”

“Oh, ye of little faith.” She laughed and linked her arm through his. She was only about two inches shorter than he was in her sandals and these heels put her just a little higher than he was.

“I think they’re good,” Poe said, still mulling over how to help Rey.

Rey smiled at him and moved to take them off.  

They paid for her shoes and walked over to the Ghirardelli’s shop.

As they were sitting down with their ice creams, an idea hit Poe.

“What if…” he started hesitantly.

“Hmm?” Rey asked looking up, a drip of chocolate on her nose.

Poe laughed, reaching out with his napkin to wipe it off. “What if,” he started again. “You just tell this Kylo guy that you’re dating me next time he asks.”

“What?” Rey looked startled. “Really?”

Poe shrugged, trying to play it off. “He looked really uncomfortable when I shook his hand. Maybe just lean into the lie a little and he’ll leave you alone…”

“You,” she started, blushing slightly. “You would do that?”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “You said there was a bunch of events coming up. Take me with you and he’ll leave you alone.”

“You just want to meet Leia Organa, don’t you?” Rey said suspiciously, but Poe could see a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks were tinged with pink, but Poe couldn’t think why.

Poe scoffed at her words, pretending to be aghast at the idea of meeting his childhood hero. “I am appalled that you would even suggest that I have ulterior motives! I am a good friend.”

“The best.” Rey reached out with her spoon to swipe a bite from his ice cream.

* * *

That Monday Rey started texting him while he was in his office.

Sunshine  
  
**Rey:** Were you serious about fake-dating until You-know-who backs tf off?  
  
**Poe:** Sure  
  
**Poe:** Though I think Snape is a more apt comparison  
  
**Rey:** 😂  
  
**Rey:** That’s absolutely perfect  
  
**Poe:** Is he being awful?  
  
**Rey:** He’s decided that running into us on Saturday means that I’m NOT in some sort of convent and that if he just tries harder he can get me to dump you and go out with him…  
  
**Poe:** W.O.W.  
  
**Poe:** Just wow  
  
**Rey:** It’s like he doesn’t even understand that he’s being creepy af  
  
**Poe:** What a dick  
  
**Poe:** (On a side note - how convinced was he that you might actually be a nun?) 😂  
  
**Rey:** idk  
  
**Rey:** Probably 50/50 😇  
  


Poe laughed and responded to an email while he waited for her next message.

 

Sunshine  
  
**Rey:** CALL ME NOW!!!!  
  


 

Poe stared at the phone for a moment, startled, before hitting dial.

The phone had barely rung once when she picked up.

“Hey, Sunshine” He cringed as the nickname slipped out, waiting for her reaction. But, then again, he reminded himself, this might be part of the ‘fake-dating’ thing they were trying to sell, so it couldn’t be too bad.

“Hi!” Rey’s voice had that false cheery tone that she used to get when she’d been waitressing. Poe heard her turn her head from the phone and say “So sorry, I need to take this.” There was a moment of shuffling and the sound of a door closing, then she came back on the phone. “I love you so much right now.”

“What happened?” Poe asked, trying to ignore the way his stomach flipped. “Are you okay?”

Rey sighed into the phone. “He just walked up to my desk already talking.”

“About what?” Poe asked bemused.

“How should I know? When he speaks all I hear is the teacher voice from Charlie Brown.”

Poe laughed. “Out of curiosity, how many other people sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown to you?”

Poe could hear her smile through the phone. “Just Finn when he starts talking about American football.”

“That’s fair.”

They lapsed into silence for a moment before a ping appeared on Poe’s computer. “So, you good, Sunshine?”

“Yeah, I’m hiding out in an empty huddle room with my laptop.”

The silence filled the call for another moment.

“Are you serious about the fake dating thing?” she asked in a hesitant voice.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” Poe ran his hands through his hair. “Why?”

“He may have tried to ask me to lunch tomorrow and I told him I wasn't sure if I was free."

Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, Poe said, “I could swing by and pick you up for lunch if you wanted….” He trailed off, not sure if he was overstepping.

“That would be amazing!” Rey cried. “My treat.”

Poe rolled his eyes at her offer. He knew they’d end up arguing about the bill later. “Sounds like a date.”

* * *

Two weeks later Poe was driving her to the company picnic in the West Suburbs. Rey didn’t have a car, she always said the L was a million times easier than having a car in the Loop, and Poe couldn’t fault her on that. But, in the suburbs, cars were necessary.

He glanced over at her as they sped down the highway. She was twisting her hands in her lap, her knuckles turning white with her movement.

Poe reached out and laced his fingers through hers. “What’s got you so nervous, Sunshine?”

“I’ve- I’ve only met Leia once before…” she trailed off.

“What? But you work in her office.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “How many times have you worked with your CEO?”

“Like once a month.”

“Yeah, well, you’re pretty senior, and you’ve been with your company for a while now. I am still just a contractor with barely a year’s experience here. I don’t even know why we’re going to this at all.”

Poe gave her fingers a squeeze. “Because you’re brilliant and you know it, and Leia does too, otherwise she wouldn’t have hired you.”

“I don’t even know where her office is.”

“And now you’ll have met her dog.”

“How do you know she has a dog?” Rey asked curiously.

Poe laughed. “Doesn’t everyone know her husband has that Mastiff that’s nearly as tall as he is?”

Rey shrugged. “Only if they had crushes on her in high school….”

Poe rolled his eyes and poked her in the side, making her giggle. “Not the point.” He was smiling as they pulled off the highway and started wending their way through Downers Grove.

It was a quaint little city, not imposing the way Poe had expected the former senator to live in.

Poe turned a corner into the cul-du-sac that Leia Organa lived on and stopped the car abruptly.

“Whoa,” Rey whispered.

The house was set back from the street and the garage was open. There were about twenty cars already parked in the driveway and on the street in front. Poe managed to park on the corner. “You ready?” he asked.

Rey looked nervous.

“Rey?”

Rey jumped and turned to him. “Poe?” she asked in a low voice.

“Yeah?”

“I-” She stared at him with slightly wild eyes. “I can’t do this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t go in there and-and-and- I just- I can’t.” She pulled her hand away from his and hid her face behind them.

“Rey?” Poe asked, gently tugging at her hands. “What’s going on?”

“I can’t go in there and talk to her….” She still didn’t meet his eyes.

“Why not?”

“I’m not- I’m not supposed to be in fancy houses like that. I’m not supposed to be anywhere near anything more expensive than two weeks pay. I’m not worth the expense to fix it all.”

“Rey, look at me.”

With what looked like a great effort, Rey’s eyes lifted to his.

Poe knew Rey’s history, or parts of it. He knew she’d grown up in a bad foster home in England and had gotten a lucky break when she came into her inheritance from a grandfather she’d never met and an acceptance letter to the University of Chicago. She’d put England behind her for the most part, but some pasts leave a mark.

He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Rey, you are not going to destroy anything. You are smart and strong, and I’ve seen you when you’re sparring or making things. You aren’t a tornado. You’re magic. And you are worth more than you can even imagine.”

Tears were trailing down her cheeks now. Poe gently wiped them away with his thumb.

Rey took a shuddering breath. “Thank you,” she said, her hand holding his wrist.

They sat in silence for another moment as her breathing calmed, before Rey pulled away. She flipped down the sun-visor to check her eyes. Poe offered her a tissue from his pocket.

“Ready?” he asked again as she pushed the visor back.

“Yup.”

Poe got out and walked around to her door. He’d been intending to open it for her, but she’d beaten him to it.

She was wearing a pretty blue sundress and was clutching the hostess gift she’d spent hours badgering him about before finally settling on a tea sampler that she liked. Poe took her hand as they started down the road towards the Organa house.

“Oh,” Rey said just as they got to the bottom of the driveway. “I forgot to mention. Kylo is Leia’s son.”

Poe opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Which was probably a good thing as Kylo appeared in the garage door at that second.

“Rey! You made it,” he called out with a wave.

Rey smiled back politely, but before she could say anything an older man appeared next to Kylo.

“Ben, your mom needs you to go get some more of those what-you-call-ems from the bakery. Said the shop on Main st. has the order ready,” the older man said before catching sight of Poe and Rey. Looking closer Poe recognized him. “Hello,” he said. “You here for the party?”

Poe nodded. “Yessir.”

“Through here,” Han said, nodding for them to follow him. “Seriously, Ben, go get them now.”

“But.” Kylo - Ben - looked remarkably like a petulant twelve year old as he stared at his father. “Fine. I’ll be right back, Rey,” he said before walking off towards his car on the street.

Han led them through the garage and into the kitchen.

Leia Organa was standing next to the ornate island washing her hands.

“More guests,” Han said before disappearing down a side hallway.

“Hi,” Leia said brightly, drying off her hands and coming up to them. “I’m so glad you could come, Rey.” She pulled Rey into a tight hug.  

Rey looked a little taken aback by the movement for a moment before she returned the hug. “Thanks for having us,” she said as she pulled back. “Uh, this is for you.” She offered the gift.

“Oh, thank you. You didn’t have to…” Leia trailed off as she pulled the tissue paper out of the bag. “I love it.” She turned to set the bag down next to the stove before giving Rey another quick hug before glancing to where Poe was standing.

“Oh, uh. This is my boyfriend, Poe,” Rey said awkwardly.

“Hello!” Leia’s smile was wide and warm as she reached out to him. “It’s good to meet you.”

Poe was unapologetically starstruck as he nodded dumbly, shaking her hand.

Leia stared at him with a look that froze him in place. It was like she could read his mind, all the way back to grade school.

“Nice to meet you too Poe.” Leia looked at Rey. “Well, there’s food out on the patio, and I think Lando and Han have broken into the bar in the basement, if you are so inclined.” Leia turned around at the sound of her name being called. “If you would excuse me for just one moment.” She disappeared down the same hallway that Han had, muttering something under her breath about her husband.

Rey turned to Poe, smiling. “On a scale of one to ten, how badly are you freaking out right now?”

Poe rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, probably a ten.”

“Well, you’re not very publicly freaking out the way you were last week when I told you, so there's that.” Rey laughed as she pulled him out the back door to the patio.

They spent the next few hours milling about with a few of the people Rey worked with. Han, for all his gruffness and bluster, was a surprisingly good host. Poe had a lively discussion with him about the ‘68 Chevy Camaro he’s currently rebuilding from the ground up.

“Well let me know if you ever need a part,” Han was saying, draining the last of his beer. “I know a guy who is a real wizard at finding pieces for old cars.”

“That would be amazing, sir,” Poe said emphatically. “I just might have to take you up on that offer.”

The party was dying out now. Rey had been pulled aside by Leia a little while ago. Poe could see them talking in hushed tones about something over on a bench by the firepit.

“You know,” Han said, his eyes following Poe’s. “I’ve heard my wife talk about your girl for a while now. She talks about her like she’s gonna run the world some day.”

Poe smiled. “Yeah. She’s pretty brilliant.”

Han was studying his face. “I’m going to give you this piece of advice. Don’t disappoint her.”

“I don’t intend to, sir.”

Han’s expression was shrewd. “Whatever you haven’t told her yet, whatever you’re holding back. She’ll find out, sooner or later. Might as well make it on your terms.” With that he walked away from a stunned Poe to talk to Lando Calrisian.

Poe shook his head, trying to clear it. He could almost feel his mother’s ring pulse against his chest under his shirt, as if it were saying _You’re being ridiculous._ He stared after Han for another second before walking towards Rey.

“Hey, Sunshine,” he said, dropping a kiss to her hair before taking the empty chair next to her. “What’re you two conspiring about?”

“Oh, just planning your wedding,” Leia said without missing a beat.

Poe choked on his sip of Coke. He glanced at Rey. She was staring down at her lap, biting her bottom lip. “Any plans to tell me this was happening?”

Leia shrugged. “Eventually. It’s tricky to get you into a tux fitting when you don’t know anything.”

Rey’s shoulders were shaking with laughter as she caught Poe’s eye. “I told you, we could just use the same tux he’s getting for our friend’s wedding.”

He just rolled his eyes at them and took another drink.

Rey checked her watch. “I think we should probably get going, Poe. We need to get back to the city.”

Poe nodded and stood up.

Leia stood up as well. She pulled Rey into a tight hug. “Remember what I told you, Honey. Any time.” She released Rey and turned to Poe. “Don’t be a stranger, either of you,” she said, catching Poe in a hug, as well.

“Yes, ma’am.”

They said their goodbyes to the stragglers of the party and walked out through the house to the street.

“Rey!”

They paused at the door.

Ben was standing there looking put out. “I didn’t get the chance to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Rey mumbled, slipping her hand into Poe’s and squeezing it tight. “Sorry about that. Was there something you wanted to say?”

Ben’s eyes darted to Poe’s face and then back to Rey. “No, no it can wait. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Rey said, leading Poe away from Ben before either of them could say anything else.

“So how was your night?” Poe asked as they sped down the dark road.

“It was....” Rey’s voice sounded dreamy. “It was very nice. Leia wasn’t anything like what I’d expected.”

“How so?”

“Well,” Rey started. “For one, she seems to know that her son is kinda… the way he is about a lot of things. She said to text her if he starts bothering me at work.”

“That’s good,” Poe said. “You have a big shot in your corner.” He glanced at her sideways and saw her cheeks flush, looking down at her hands.

“I guess so.”

Poe rolled his eyes. “You are brilliant, I know it, Leia knows it. Hell, Han and Lando just spent half an hour talking to me about that suggestion you made about fixing their old van. You telling me that all those people are wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

Poe smiled. Taking her hand in his, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. They drove in companionable silence for a while until Poe’s phone started ringing through the bluetooth, making both of them jump.

Poe answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mijo,” his dad’s voice crackled through the speakers. “I tried calling earlier but it went to voicemail.”

“Sorry about that,” Poe said grimacing slightly at the tone. “My phone might have been on silent. You’re on speaker with Rey, by the way,” he added, hoping that his dad wasn’t going to say anything too embarrassing.

“Hi, Rey!” Kes’s called a little louder.

“Hi,” Rey said.

“What are you two doing next weekend?”

“Why?” Poe asked, already wary.

“Your Uncle Cassian is hosting a barbecue and wanted to invite you over. Bring Rey.”

Poe glanced at Rey, trying to gauge her interest. She just shrugged.

“I’m game, if you want,” she whispered. Poe thought he could see the slightest glimpse of a blush on her cheeks.

“Alright, Papa, we’ll be there.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and Poe.” Poe knew that tone.

“Sorry Dad, I’m driving and I’m going to have to let you go.”

“Alright, I’ll see you on Saturday then,” Kes called. “Bye Rey!”

“Bye!” they both said before Poe hung up.

“You sure you want to spend the day with my crazy relatives?” Poe asked, slowing down as they reached the city. “I won’t be offended if you want to bail.”

Rey laughed brightly. “Puh-lease, you’ve been an awesome fake boyfriend, the least I could do is save you from your ‘crazy relatives’.” She drew air quotes around the name. “Besides, Kes said there’d be food.”

Poe laughed.

* * *

That had all happened two months ago. Was it his fault that she’d made them watch some silly high school movie on Netflix earlier that week? Was it his fault that some stupid trope from said movie was stuck in his head? Was it his fault that he was head over heels for her? Was it his fault that his aunt Jyn had told him, in no uncertain words, that she was expecting Rey to come to more events?

Probably.

He and Rey had completely convinced everyone at her office and his entire family that they were actually dating, and it honestly surprised Poe how little effort it took. He really wasn’t doing anything more than showing up and holding her hand or her waist or sitting next to her at events. He’d gone to pick her up from the office for lunch a few times, he’d even kissed her cheek on two occasions. He tried not to dwell on the fact that she blushed bright red every time he did so. She was just putting on a show, just like he’d been. _Right?_

The only ones who knew about the arrangement were Finn and Rose, both of whom had promptly told him he was being an idiot.

Poe sighed as he followed Finn into the shop. They were getting fitted for their tuxes today.

“You know you’re not subtle, right?” Finn said, walking towards the racks.

“Subtle about what?” Poe asked, examining a row of bow ties.

“Being in love with Rey.”

Poe straightened up. “Who said I was in love with her?”

Finn leveled a _look_ at him. “Don’t insult my intelligence. The only reason Rey hasn’t caught on to the fact that you look at her with this love-struck-puppy face is because she has never seen you look at her any other way and she thinks that's just how your face is.”

Poe rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes still fixed on the shelf, though not really seeing it.

“Look,” Finn said. “You and Rey are my best friends, excluding Rose. If you want to get together with her for real just say the word. I’m sure she’ll be more than receptive.”

Poe opened his mouth to respond, but just at that moment the store clerk walked over and saved him from trying to remember how to string words into a sentence.

* * *

A week later Rey was at Poe’s apartment. They were watching _The Umbrella Academy_ because Rey was curious to watch the “Newest masterpiece Gerard Way gave to the world”. Poe thought it was alright, a bit hard to follow but he was getting there. The monkey still weirded him out. He’d never much liked monkeys, and the whole mess with Luther’s body wasn't helping matters.

“So what exactly did they do to him?” he asked as they watched Dad, Mom, and Pogo work to save Luther on the operating table.

“No idea,” Rey said. She reached forward to grab a handful of chips. “I kinda thought they had transplanted his head on a gorilla body when they first showed him.” Poe shuddered at the thought. “But, now…”

Poe tensed up as she curled up against him. He tried to play it off on the weirdness of the show. “Now it looks like they injected him with some weird gorilla DNA therapy and turned him into some sort of hybrid?”

“Looks like it,” Rey said, lifting her head from his shoulder to look at him. “You okay?”

Poe nodded. “Yup. I just don’t like monkeys that much.”

“Really?” Rey’s eyes looked appraising. “I didn’t think Poe Dameron was afraid of anything.”

Poe rolled his eyes at her teasing. “I just don’t like them.”

“Is this because of George?” she asked, fighting a grin. “Because you know he and the Man in the Yellow Hat are great friends.”

Poe wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tickled her side. “Very funny,” he muttered as she squealed and tried to escape his fingers. “But don’t come crying to me when that mouse is in your apartment again.”

“Aww, come on, Poe,” Rey cajoled, pouting a little. “You know I’m just having a laugh.”

Poe studied her face. “You’re lucky you’re pretty,” he said with no bite.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “It’s how I get away with murder.” She smirked then shifted so his arm was around her shoulders and she turned to watch the tv again.

Poe was grateful that she was looking away. He didn’t know what to make of the gesture and he didn’t know what expression he was wearing at the moment. Surely one of shock as his thoughts spun a mile a minute. There was no one else around now, no reason for them to put on a show. Rey wasn’t usually a tactile person. She liked hugs as much as anyone, but the cheek kiss and the cuddling was new.

Could Finn be right? If he just asked, would she say yes? Poe couldn’t focus on the rest of the episode, his mind still on Rey’s head against his shoulder. For what felt like the millionth time that week, he thought of his mother’s ring, hanging on a chain a few inches from Rey’s face.

* * *

“So,” she started as Poe was leaning over the engine of his Camaro. “I was thinking that we should probably breakup.”

“What?” Poe stood up quickly, forgot where he was, and banged his head on the hood of the car.

“You okay?” she asked, reaching for his arm and pulling him upright.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Poe said, rubbing the bump on the back of his skull. “Why do you think we should break up?”

“Well.” Rey rocked back and forth on her feet, twisting her fingers together in that way that Poe knew meant she was nervous. “I just thought, Kylo is going to be transferred to the Shanghai branch of the company next week. And I know it bothers you to lie to your family about us…. I don’t want to be the one to cause a rift between you and your dad… It just seems like it’s time we called it off.”

Poe gritted his teeth against the swell of disappointment in his chest. Of course she would call it off. She wanted to move on with her life, he shouldn’t be surprised. This was only supposed to be a temporary thing after all. “Right, okay then.” He turned back to the engine so she wouldn’t see the emotions that were surely clear on his face. “So we should probably have a fight or something at the barbecue tomorrow. So that the family sees it.”

“Right.” Rey’s voice was small.

They worked in silence for a few minutes before Poe saw her reach for her bag and pull out a bottle of motor oil.

“What are you doing?” Poe asked, grabbing her wrist.

“Putting in oil,” Rey said as if it was obvious.

“Not that kind, you’re not,” Poe took the bottle from her. “Besides it’s not ready for that yet.”

“Poe.” Poe knew that tone. “I have been helping you with this engine for a while now, it’s ready to go.”

“Not yet.” Poe was adamant. “And besides, that’s not the right brand, Sunshine.”

Rey’s eyes narrowed. “This brand is perfectly good, you snob.”

The quality of brands of motor oil boiled into an argument. Poe wasn’t sure why he was feeling like picking a fight, but that’s what it turned into.

He went to bed that evening, still annoyed with Rey and trying to think of a way to get her back.

* * *

They arrived at Jyn and Cassian’s house a little early to help with set up. His dad had, very selflessly in his own estimation, volunteered Poe’s car to help tote all the food to the park, since Cassian’s car was in the shop.

As they drove they tried to discuss the various arguments they could have.

“I’m not sure,” Rey said, teasingly. “I don’t know if I could be mad at you for showering in the morning when I’m late…,” Rey mused. “I’m more likely to be mad at you for leaving the empty juice jug in the fridge.”

Poe was only half paying attention to her. Their plan was to start arguing about something, then break away from the rest of the group and ‘fight’ out of earshot, then Rey was going to get a Lyft back to the train and Poe was going to break the news to his family. Simple enough.

They walked up to Cassian’s door and were met with Jyn thrusting a platter of food into Poe’s hands before dragging Rey into the kitchen to get some more things.

“Come on,” Cassian said, his face stoic but his eyes alight with mischief. “I need to get the charcoal from the garage.”

Poe went to set the food in his trunk before following Cassian.

“Help me with this,” Cassian called. Poe grabbed the other end of the bag of charcoal before it spilled. “Thanks.” Cassian was already pulling out other things for the grill.

They finished loading the car quickly. “Just so you know,” Cassian said, closing the trunk. “Your tía is growing quite fond of that girl.”

“I know,” Poe said, already feeling the weight of their story.

“She’s good for you.” Cassian’s voice was soft. When Poe looked up at him he saw Cassian studying him with that stare that made Poe feel about six years old again. “You’re brighter, and she’s like sunshine. Hold on to her.”

Jyn shouted for Cassian from the door of the house and he left with a clap on Poe's shoulder.

Rey appeared just then holding several bags of chips. “Hey.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I think your aunt is trying to feed a small country.”

“Probably true,” Poe said, taking a few of the bags from her and putting them in the back seat of his car. They would have to squish, but Poe figured that was par for the course.

They finished loading the car and went to the park.

Kes was already there, claiming the gazebo that overlooked the lake, with, to all of their surprise, Leia Organa and her husband.

“Oh, I haven’t seen the princess in so long,” Jyn said matter of factly. “Wonder what she’s been up to.”

Rey and Poe looked at each other in shock. “Whoa wait a sec, how do you two know Leia Organa?”

Cassian looked up. “That’s a long story, bichito.” With that cryptic answer, both Jyn and Cassian stepped out of the car and began toting all the supplies to the gazebo.

Poe stared at Rey. “What do we do?”

Rey heaved a sigh. “Well, I think we should probably stick to the plan. It’ll probably get back to Leia one way or another.”

“You sure?”

Rey nodded. “Let’s go, before they start asking about us.”

Poe followed her out of the car.

The picnic was surprisingly nice. Leia apparently knew Jyn and Cassian from some work they did together in the 80s that none of them would elaborate on, and Leia had known Poe’s mom Shara from the work she’d done flying for Leia’s brother Luke.

Every now and then Poe would catch Rey’s eye. They were trying to figure out a way to start a fight. Poe was still annoyed about the motor oil, but he couldn’t figure out how to work it into the conversation.

Rey stood up to get something from the table and Poe went with her.

“I can do it, Poe,” Rey said, her tone slightly irritated.

“I know.” Poe spooned more food onto her plate. It was a habit his family had instilled in him from a young age, it wasn’t the first time he had done this. Rey’s independent streak had always been a bit at odds with this instinct of Poe's.

“Stop!” Poe could see the glint in her eyes. _So this was how she was going to do it._ “I don’t need your help!” She pursed her lips and glanced at the others at the neighboring table. She nodded to the path by the lake and Poe set down the spoon.

“Look,” she said as they made it a little ways away from the picnic, but still within earshot. “I know you are just like this but I can take care of myself. I don’t need you or anyone looking after me.”

“Rey,” Poe started but Rey was on a roll.

“I don’t need you to baby me, I’ve taken care of myself my entire life and I can still do it now.”

Poe couldn’t think of a rebuttal, and he was annoyed at himself for that. He was known as the guy who could talk himself out of any situation, but put him in front of Rey and all that charm evaporated. Unbidden, his thoughts slipped again to Shara’s ring.

“I know you don’t _need_ any help, but I _want_ to be there,” he managed to get in, but he wasn’t sure Rey had even heard him.

“And it’s like you don’t even trust my opinion on things. That oil yesterday was perfectly fine, but you-you-”

Poe had stopped listening to her by now. He reached under his shirt and pulled the necklace out and over his head. Kneeling down, he slipped the ring off of the chain and held it up to her. “Rey, I do trust you, with a lot of things, with pretty much everything in fact. I know I’ve been an idiot about a lot of things. But you always bring me back to center. Always, no matter what. You are amazing and I love that you’re independent, but you don’t have to do things alone. I want to watch you take on the world and succeed, I want to see you become the fire that sparks a new era, and I want to be there with you through it all. Will you marry me?”

Rey’s jaw was hanging open. Her eyes fixed on his face. Poe watched her nod slightly before choking on a sob and threw her arms around his neck. Her movement unbalanced Poe and they rolled back onto the grass as a cheer rose up from the picnic tables.

Poe glanced up and saw his father leading the way to them.

“What did you _just_ do?” Rey whispered into his ear.

“What did _you_ just do?” Poe whispered back before Kes and Jyn were both on them talking a mile a minute.

“Congratulations!”

“How long have you been planning this?”

Kes took Poe’s arm and Jyn took Rey’s and they both pulled them to their feet.

Poe put his hand on Rey’s back, then realized that he was still holding the ring. “Oops, here,” he said, smiling sheepishly as he slid it onto Rey’s finger.

Kes started crying. He threw his arms around both Rey and Poe’s necks, hugging them to him as he kissed their cheeks. “Welcome to the family Rey!”

Rey let out a weak laugh as they moved back to the picnic.

“Congrats you two,” Han called, raising his glass to them. Leia smiled and walked over to hug them both.

Cassian was studying the pair of them, again with that x-ray vision of his.

They managed to escape questioning after only an hour, though Poe was hoping to put off the car ride home for as long as possible.

Poe waved to the others as they got back into his car. Kes had said he was going to drive Jyn and Cassian home because he wanted to “Let the happy couple have some time.”

The ride back into the city was silent. Poe could see Rey opening her mouth several times, about to speak, but she kept catching herself.

“Why-how,” she started. “Why did you propose to me?”

Poe could feel her eyes on him. He pulled to a halt at a red light. “I’m not sure.”

“Not good enough,” Rey demanded. “Why did you do it? I thought we’d agreed that we were going to stage a break up.”

“Well,” Poe hedged again. “If you had said ‘no’ that would have been clear.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to do that.” Rey was twisting the ring around her finger. “And besides, I didn’t actually say yes,” she added in a whisper.

Poe considered this. “No, I guess you didn’t.”

“Why did you do it?” Her voice was quiet again. “You said all those things about me and I just….”

Poe sighed. He pulled over in a grocery store parking lot. He’d never imagined this being the way that he told her, but he wasn’t sure he could keep it in any longer, and she deserved his full attention. “I’m sorry, Rey. I just- when I thought about it, really thought about it.” He scrubbed his hands over his eyes. “These last few months, pretending to be with you, going with you to events and- and being a couple.” He looked out over the dashboard. “Cassian and my dad kept telling me I was lighter, happier with you. Han told me not to ruin it. And, well, I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

Poe took a deep breath and turned to her. “I’m in love with you, Rey.”

“What?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Her hands lay limply in her lap. “But-you.”

“I know I’m an idiot,” Poe said, laughing at himself. “I know I’m springing this on you in the stupidest, most ridiculous way possible, but it’s true. I love you. I think you’re amazing and beautiful and maybe, possibly, even generous enough to go on a real date with me some time.” He studied her face, hope bleeding off of him.

She was silent for a minute, then two. Then she reached out and cupped his cheek.

Poe covered her hand with his and held it to his face. He closed his eyes, ready for the rejection.

“I wasn’t sure,” Rey began. “I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. I always knew I liked you, I liked spending time with you. And then you were always so caring when we were pretending, and it made me feel like-feel like.” She stuttered to a halt. “You always made me feel warm and like I meant something to you, and I just….” She pulled her hand from him and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t really want to break up with you. I just thought. I guess I thought it was too much to expect from a friend, and I thought you should be able to- to go off and have something real.” She was twisting her hands again.

Poe reached for her hands. “I didn’t want someone else. I just didn’t know how to move forward. Or, well, I knew, I just didn’t want to chase you away.”

Rey smiled up at him. “I-I guess what I’m saying is, I would love to go out with you, for real this time.”

Poe felt lighter than air. “Really?” he asked, breathlessly.

Rey smiled. She leaned across the console and pulled him into a kiss. “Really,” she whispered when she pulled away. “But you still haven’t actually asked me.”

Poe grinned and ducked his head. “Will you, Rey Kenobi, go out with me on Friday?”

“Hmm,” Rey deliberated, biting down on a smile. “Yes.”

Poe leaned in for another kiss, sloppier than the first because they were both grinning like idiots.

* * *

Two years later Poe stood at the edge of the same lake.

Leia and Jyn had basically kidnapped Rey for the last twelve hours. They had erected tent walls around the pavilion, blocking Rey and the rest of their small bridal party from view. Poe saw Kes sitting in the front row, already teary eyed. Cassian and Jyn were sitting next to him, along with several friends of Rey’s from the office and a few of Poe’s cousins from Guatemala. Leia was just sitting down next to Han and Lando and shot a thumbs up in Poe’s direction.

The string quartet struck up at some signal that Poe didn’t see and Karé and Snap emerged from the tent. Karé’s bouquet of blue flowers to match the blue dress she wore. She winked as they approached Poe and the minister.

“Just you wait,” Snap whispered as he took his place behind Poe.

Rose and Finn emerged next, Rose’s eyes already watering as they approached. Finn clapped him on the back and took his spot next to Poe.

The music changed to the wedding march and everyone stood as Rey stepped out from the tent and walked towards the altar.

Poe’s heart skipped a beat. She was standing there in a long, flowing dress, the top covered in lace as the bottom swirled around her feet. Her hair was tucked under a beaded headband and Poe could see the edge of a long veil tucked into the bun at the base of her neck.

Poe watched as she walked towards him, feeling the tears already swelling behind his eyes.

When Rey was a few steps away from him she stumbled slightly. Poe strode forward quickly and offered his hand.

Rey smiled up at him as she straightened and took his hand, shifting her bouquet of blue and white flowers to her left hand. “Damn heels sunk in the grass,” she whispered as they made their way back to the altar.

“You look beautiful,” Poe whispered back, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles.

Her answering grin was blinding.

Poe didn’t remember much of the ceremony. The minister said his bit, then they exchanged their vows. Finn gave Poe the rings. Rey’s was Poe’s mother’s wedding ring, the one he had proposed with so long ago, right here on this same spot.

As he slid it on her finger next to her engagement ring, he glanced up and saw a tear sliding down her cheek.

“I love you,” he mouthed at her, reaching up to brush it away carefully with his thumb.

Rey nodded. "I know," she said silently, biting down on her bottom lip for a moment before she took his ring and slid it into place on his hand.

The minister declared them husband and wife and Rey threw her arms around Poe as she kissed him.

Poe broke away and leaned his head against Rey's for a moment. They turned to the audience and waved before walking down the short aisle and around to the edge of the lake.

Poe pulled Rey to a stop at the edge of the path that went around the lake and spun her into him. Dipping her playfully, he planted a kiss on his wife's grinning mouth. _His wife._

He couldn’t wait to see what came next.

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think?
> 
> Also if you haven't already, I would highly recommend The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, it's really interesting :) (oh and btw the "high school movie" Poe referenced as inspiration for the plot was _To All The Boys I've Loved Before_ )
> 
> here are the reference pics i used for a bunch of the parts of this  
> [Poe’s camaro](http://www.musclecarsworld.com/1968-chevrolet-camaro-rs-coupe-in-fabulous-color-combination/photos/image/1968-chevrolet-camaro-rs-coupe-in-fabulous-color-combination-13#picgallery)
> 
> [Rey’s Dress](http://happywedd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/flowy_dress_50.jpg)
> 
> [Rey’s Veil](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/5f/bb/6a5fbbaa5ce6aee7458365970246bc3b.jpg)


End file.
